††††††††
†††† ††††
†† ††
† †
† †
† THE GLASS FACTORY. †
† †
† †
†† ††
†††† ††††
††††††††
.......... SEVERAL CENTURIES AFTER IT HAD LAST ..........
.......... BELONGED TO US, WE WENT ON AN OUTING TO ..........
.......... THE GLASS FACTORY THAT BORE OUR FAMILY ..........
:......... NAME. IT HAD CHANGED OWNERS MANY TIMES .........:
~:........ SINCE OUR ANCESTORS DEATH, AND THEN ........:~
/~:....... STOOD ABANDONED FOR A LONG WHILE. .......:~/
†/~:...... FINALLY, THE NATURAL END STATION FOR ......:~/†
@†/~:..... THE BUILDINGS THAT SURVIVE: A MUSEUM, .....:~/†@
#@†/~:.... AND A GIFT SHOP. ....:~/†@#
##@†/~:... ...:~/†@##
###@†/~:.. THERE'S A LONG TIME SINCE MY FAMILY ..:~/†@###
####@†/~:. MADE ANYTHING. BY MANY, WE WOULD BE .:~/†@####
###@†/~:.. CONSIDERED POOR. ..:~/†@###
##@†/~:... ...:~/†@##
#@†/~:.... THERE ARE TWO MAIN FACTORY BUILDINGS, ....:~/†@#
@†/~:..... DOMED THINGS OF SEVERAL FLOORS, MADE IN .....:~/†@
†/~:...... YELLOW BRICK. LARGE BUT NARROW WINDOWS, ......:~/†
/~:....... REMINESCENT OF SOME CATHEDRAL. .......:~/
~:........ CUSTOM-MADE GLASS, OF COURSE, LARGE AND ........:~
:......... LEADED, AND ASHEN. A BIT TOO DARK TO BE .........:
.......... PRACTICAL. ON THE EASTERN BUILDING, ..........
.......... SOME ARE SHATTERED. ..........
.......... ..........
.......... THE OTHER ONE IS PUBLICLY OPEN. THERE'S ..........
.......... A MUSEUM, WITH WAX FIGURES OF MY GREAT ..........
.......... GREAT GREAT GRANDFATHER, OR SOMETHING. ..........
.......... VARIOUS TOOLS (OR REPLICAS) LAID OUT ON ..........
:......... TABLES, WITH EXPLAINING TEXTS. A LOT OF .........:
~:........ GLASS OF VARYING THICKNESS. ........:~
/~:....... .......:~/
†/~:...... †† ......:~/†
@†/~:..... †† †† .....:~/†@
#@†/~:.... ~~~~~~~ † † ~~~~~~~ ....:~/†@#
##@†/~:... †† †† ...:~/†@##
###@†/~:.. †† ..:~/†@###
####@†/~:. .:~/†@####
###@†/~:.. I QUICKLY SNEAK OUT, AND CLIMB INTO THE ..:~/†@###
##@†/~:... OTHER BUILDING. THE CONTRAST IS ...:~/†@##
#@†/~:.... OVERWHELMING. IT MUST HAVE STOOD ....:~/†@#
@†/~:..... DERELICT FOR A LONG TIME, WINDOWS .....:~/†@
†/~:...... BROKEN, METALLIC TRASH AND POOLS OF ......:~/†
/~:....... DARK GLASS ALL OVER THE FLOOR. NO .......:~/
~:........ ELECTRIC LIGHTS, BUT I CAN SEE BY THE ........:~
:......... LIGHT THAT SHINES IN WHEREVER THE DARK .........:
.......... WINDOWS ARE MISSING A PANE. ..........
.......... ..........
.......... HOWEVER, THE GREATEST DIFFERENCE IS THE ..........
.......... HIGHER FLOORS: THIS BUILDING HAS NONE. ..........
.......... IT IS ONE MASSIVE HALL, STRETCHING AWAY ..........
.......... INFINITELY ABOVE ME. SOMEWHERE UP THERE ..........
.......... IS SOME GREAT IRON LATTICEWORK, FROM ..........
:......... WHERE CHAINS ARE SUSPENDED, AND PARTS .........:
~:........ OF MACHINERY HAS BEEN FALLING DOWN. ........:~
/~:....... .......:~/
†/~:...... THERE IS, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GREAT ......:~/†
@†/~:..... HALL, A THIN SPIRAL STAIRCASE THAT .....:~/†@
#@†/~:.... LEADS UP THERE. I SNEAK OVER THERE, AND ....:~/†@#
##@†/~:... TAKE A FEW RELUCTANT STEPS. AFTER JUST ...:~/†@##
###@†/~:.. A REVOLUTION, I NOTICE THAT FOR EACH ..:~/†@###
####@†/~:. STEP THE BUILDING STARTS TO GLOW, THE .:~/†@####
###@†/~:.. BRICKS TURNING A DARK RED, AND THEN ..:~/†@###
##@†/~:... ORANGE, ALL THE PILED UP DEBREE BEING ...:~/†@##
#@†/~:.... LIT FROM BEHIND. ....:~/†@#
@†/~:..... .....:~/†@
†/~:...... I STOP READY TO RUN DOWN AND OUT, BUT ......:~/†
/~:....... THERE'S SOMEONE ELSE ON THE STAIRCASE .......:~/
~:........ WITH ME NOW, PRESSED CLOSE. HE'S ........:~
:......... LOOKING LIKE ME, SHORT HAIR AND THIN .........:
.......... ARMS, BUT WITH EARS FROM SOME ANIMAL, ..........
.......... AND MORE DISTURBINGLY, COMPLETELY MADE ..........
.......... OF DARK LIQUID GLASS. ..........
.......... ..........
.......... †† ..........
.......... †† †† ..........
.......... ~~~~~~~ † † ~~~~~~~ ..........
:......... †† †† .........:
~:........ †† ........:~
/~:....... .......:~/
†/~:...... MY FEAR HOLDS ME IN PLACE WHILE HE ......:~/†
@†/~:..... STARTS OPERATING LEVERS AND DIALS SET .....:~/†@
#@†/~:.... IN THE CENTER OF THE STAIRCASE. SLOWLY, ....:~/†@#
##@†/~:... IT STARTS SPINNING, CIRCLING UPWARDS. ...:~/†@##
###@†/~:.. IT'S AN ELEVATOR! I START TO RUN ..:~/†@###
####@†/~:. DOWNWARDS, BUT NOW THE LIQUID BOY .:~/†@####
###@†/~:.. CREATURE GRABS HOLD OF ME. I TRY TO ..:~/†@###
##@†/~:... SHAKE HIM OFF, BUT HE'S TOO STRONG, AND ...:~/†@##
#@†/~:.... PULLS ME BACK UP BESIDE HIM. ....:~/†@#
@†/~:..... .....:~/†@
†/~:...... THIS TIME, I TURN ANGRY INSTEAD. WHAT ......:~/†
/~:....... THE HELL? WHO IS THIS GUY, ACTING LIKE .......:~/
~:........ THIS? I REACH OUT MY FREE ARM AND SLAM ........:~
:......... A RANDOM LEVER. SOME METAL BAR IS .........:
.......... SUDDENLY RELEASED BETWEEN US, HITTING ..........
.......... HIM ON THE ARM, FORCING MY RELEASE. I ..........
.......... SHOVE HIM OFF OF ME, AND HE FALLS INTO ..........
.......... THE LEVERS, MESSING THEM UP. ..........
.......... IMMEDIATELY, A THIN RUSTY CHAINMAIL ..........
.......... CURTAIN IS DROPPED AROUND ME. BUT THE ..........
.......... ELEVATOR ALSO SPEEDS UP SIGNIFICANTLY. ..........
:......... .........:
~:........ THE WALLS ARE FLARING NOW, YELLOW, ........:~
/~:....... WHITE, ALMOST BLUE. I CLOSE MY EYES AND .......:~/
†/~:...... CURL INTO A BALL. BUT THEN, THE GLASS ......:~/†
@†/~:..... BOY SCREAMS, A PIERCING SOUND THAT .....:~/†@
#@†/~:.... FORCES MY EYES BACK OPEN. I WATCH AS HE ....:~/†@#
##@†/~:... BECOMES TOO LIQUID, HIS BODY POOLING ...:~/†@##
###@†/~:.. DOWN IN HIS NOW MASSIVE TAIL, AND THE ..:~/†@###
####@†/~:. TIP OF IT SUDDENLY BREAKS OF IN A GLASS .:~/†@####
###@†/~:.. DROP THAT FALLS TOWARD THE FACTORY ..:~/†@###
##@†/~:... FLOOR. ...:~/†@##
#@†/~:.... ....:~/†@#
@†/~:..... HE'S CRAWLING ON THE STAIRS, UNABLE TO .....:~/†@
†/~:...... KEEP HIS BODY UPRIGHT. CAN'T REACH THE ......:~/†
/~:....... LEVERS, CLAWS AT MY CHAINMAIL CAGE, .......:~/
~:........ WHILE HIS BODY IS TURNING INTO DARK ........:~
:......... PEARLS. FINALLY, HE'S LOST TOO MUCH OF .........:
.......... HIMSELF AND THE SCREAM IS CUT SHORT. ..........
.......... THE LAST OF HIM RAINS DOWN. ..........
.......... ..........
.......... I STILL CAN'T REACH THE LEVERS FROM ..........
.......... WITHIN MY CAGE. LOOKING UP, I TRY TO ..........
.......... MAKE OUT THE CEILING, BUT IT'S ALL A ..........
.......... WHIRLING SEA OF COLOURS. BELOW ME GLOWS ..........
:......... THE HELLFIRE OF THE FACTORY WALLS, BUT .........:
~:........ VERY FAINT. I SIT DOWN, CURL BACK UP, ........:~
/~:....... BECOME STILL. .......:~/
†/~:...... ......:~/†
@†/~:..... †† .....:~/†@
#@†/~:.... †† †† ....:~/†@#
##@†/~:... ~~~~~~~ † † ~~~~~~~ ...:~/†@##
###@†/~:.. †† †† ..:~/†@###
####@†/~:. †† .:~/†@####
###@†/~:.. ..:~/†@###
##@†/~:... A LARGE CLUNK SHAKES MY ENTIRE BODY, ...:~/†@##
#@†/~:.... AND SNAPS ME BACK INTO REALITY. I'M ....:~/†@#
@†/~:..... BACK AT THE FACTORY FLOOR, BUT THE .....:~/†@
†/~:...... STAIRS ARE STILL MOVING SLIGHTLY, ......:~/†
/~:....... CLICKING IN PLACE, CARRYING ME THE LAST .......:~/
~:........ FEW CENTIMETERS. I CAME FROM BELOW, ........:~
:......... SOMEHOW. THE CHAINMAIL IS RETRACTED, .........:
.......... AND I SLOWLY DISMOUNT THE STAIRS. ..........
.......... ..........
.......... SHAKING AND CRYING, I MAKE MY WAY OVER ..........
.......... THE FACTORY FLOOR, WADING THROUGH DARK ..........
.......... GLASS MARBLES. A QUICK GLANCE DOWN, AND ..........
.......... I SEE THERE'S SOMETHING FAINT INSIDE ..........
.......... THEM. EMBRYOS? ARE THESE EGGS? ..........
:......... .........:
~:........ I SHUDDER, AND CLIMB BACK OUT. ........:~
††
†† ††
† †
†† ††
††